Thirty asylum seekers currently in detention in the UK have gone on hunger strike in protest against their imminent removal to France under the Home Office’s controversial “one in, one out” scheme.

The Guardian understands that the group began their hunger strike on Monday and many are due to be forcibly removed to France on Thursday.

More than 100 people have been forcibly removed from the UK to France under the Home Office scheme, with a smaller number brought to Britain via legal means in return. The aim of the scheme is to deter asylum seekers from crossing the Channel to the UK in small boats.

Two of those already removed to France have since returned to the UK on small boats: an Iranian man who was then forcibly returned to France for a second time; and an Eritrean man, who is in a detention centre and is due to be removed to France on Thursday.

One hunger striker told the Guardian: “I am exhausted by this situation and find it deeply unfair and unjust. I arrived on a boat with 83 other people, and only 12 of us were moved to a detention centre.

“The rest are being processed through the asylum system normally and are now in hotels. Meanwhile, we are being held here alongside people who may have criminal convictions.

“I repeatedly approached the office here to ask for answers and waited for hours every day, but I was never given any information. Each time, I was sent back to my room. Feeling hopeless, I decided to join the others in starting a hunger strike.

“I need this message to reach the Home Office and for the public to understand that we do not deserve this treatment. We have done nothing wrong to be treated this way.”

Another said: “Life has completely stopped for me since I was detained. It feels like living in limbo, with the constant fear of being sent back to places that are unsafe for me, such as France or my home country.”

A third person taking part in the protest explained: “We decided to go on hunger strike because we have been treated like criminals.

“We have a reason why we came to this country: to be protected. We have not done anything against society or to anyone … We are normal people, and we would like to be free and to have our human rights and protection.”

Charlotte Buckley, the director of Bail for Immigration Detainees, a charity supporting some of the hunger strikers, said: “We join those on hunger strike in calling for their right to claim asylum in the UK, which is protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention.

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“Claiming asylum is not illegal, yet people are being deprived of their liberty as soon as they reach the UK and threatened with deportation under the UK-France scheme.

“We are also concerned that many of them do not have access to legal advice, with our recent report showing the lowest levels of legal representation in detention since our records began.

“We are worried for the safety of those who are on hunger strike, and urge the Home Office to listen to their demands.”

The Home Office was approached for comment.